Definition of Cholesterol

1. Noun. (biochemistry) A sterol lipid synthesized by the liver and transported in the bloodstream to the membranes of all animal cells; it plays a central role in many biochemical processes and, as a lipoprotein that coats the walls of blood vessels, is associated with cardiovascular disease. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Cholesterol

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Cholesterol

1.
1. A pearly, fatlike steroid alcohol, C27H45OH, crystallizing in the form of leaflets or plates from dilute alcohol and found in animal fats and oils, in bile, blood, brain tissue, milk, yolk of egg, myelin sheaths of nerve fibres, the liver, kidneys and adrenal glands.
It constitutes a large part of the most frequently occurring type of gallstones and occurs in atheroma of the arteries, in various cysts and in carcinomatous tissue. Most of the bodys cholesterol is synthesised in the liver, but some is absorbed from the diet. It is a precursor of bile acids and is important in the synthesis of steroid hormones.
2. A commercial preparation of cholesterol is used as a pharmaceutic aid.
Synonym: cholesterin.
Origin: Gr. Stereos = solid
(15 Jan 1998)

Cholesterol Pictures

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Literary usage of Cholesterol

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1.The Journal of Infectious Diseases by Infectious Diseases Society of America, John Rockefeller McCormick Memorial Fund, John McCormick Institute for Infectious Diseases (1914)"cholesterol appears to be not only an essential constituent of the living cell and
... cholesterol prevents the hemolytic action of such toxins as saponin, ..."

2.The Journal of Biological Chemistry by American Society of Biological Chemists (1917)"Some of these, including cholesterol, are essential constituents of every living
cell. cholesterol exists in the body tissues in both a free condition and a ..."

4.Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion & Disease Prevention by DIANE Publishing Company (2004)"If proper guidelines are followed by health professionals, more patients can be
expected to make dietary changes and reduce their blood cholesterol to ..."

5.A Lifelong Passion: Nicholas and Alexandra: Their Own Story by Andrei Maylunas (2005)"By categorizing patients using the guidelines of the National cholesterol Education
Program and considering the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, ..."

6.The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1916)"Atheroma and Other Lesions Produced in Rabbits by cholesterol Feeding. ...
69) carried out an interesting study on feeding egg yolk and cholesterol to ..."